Kyu-hyun of Super Junior plays d'Artagnan in the Korean rendition of the Czech musical "The Three Musketeers."

/ Courtesy of M Musical Company

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Travel back in time to 17th century France where three famous musketeers are joined by a brave young man, who came to Paris to become a musketeer like them. Prepare yourself for a nonstop, dueling and swashbuckling adventure.

M Musical Company is staging the musical “The Three Musketeers” with a star-studded cast including a member of a K-pop group and veteran actors who have won musical awards.

Based on the novel of French author Alexandre Dumas, Czech producer Oldrich Lichtenberg has turned the work into a stage show with the music of Michael David.

The musical premiered in Korea last year and successfully drew a huge audience to the French classic rendered in Korean style with Czech music.

A scene from
"The Three Musketeers"

For this year’s encore, K-pop group Super Junior’s Kyu-hyun stars in a musical for the first time. The doll-faced singer plays the role of d’Artagnan, a country bumpkin from Gascony who wants to join the royal musketeers.

Actors Um Ki-joon, Kim Moo-yeol and singer Jay from Trax also play the roles of young, passionate musketeers-to-be. Um played d’Artagnan in last year’s production while Kim has starred in the musicals, “Thrill Me,” and “Spring Awakening” as well as the film “Scam” (2009).

“I am nervous to sing and act in front of so many people, but I will kick off my new musical career by doing my best,” Kyu-hyun said at a press call last week. His stage debut is scheduled for Tuesday.

He added the senior actors in the cast with him gave useful advice since it is the first time for him to appear in a musical.

“They said I resemble the character of d’Artagnan, especially in the naive aspect,” he said.

“Though a country bumpkin, d’Artagnan is a righteous person fighting to uphold justice.”

Musical actress Kim Ah-sun and Dana of girl group, The Grace, alternate in the role of Constance, the love interest of d’Artagnan.

Athos, the leader of the Three Musketeers, is played alternately by Yu Jun-sang and Seo Bum-seok while musical actor Kim Beop-rae and comedian-turned-actor Kim Jin-soo alternately play the former pirate Porthos. Aramis, the romantic musketeer, is portrayed by Min Young-ki and Choi Soo-hyung.

Each of the musketeers has his own personal story and it is presented as a play within a play. Aramis sings in an operatic scene to show how he came to be with his lover, while Porthos reenacts with his former pirate colleagues on stage.

The storyline follows that of the original book, except the creator of the musical added elements of “The Man in the Iron Mask” to spice up the musical version, with the musketeers trying to save the king from the evil Cardinal Richelieu.

“All for Love,” written by Bryan Adams for the sound track of the 1993 movie of the same title, is also performed in the musical.

The musical “The Three Musketeers” runs through Jan. 30, 2011, at the Grand Theater of Chungmu Art Hall in central Seoul.

For more information, call (02) 501-7888 or visit www.musicalthreemusketeers.com.